Unraveling the Mysteries of "Lost": How Does the Show End?

What about Jacks son? Isnt it strange that Jack has never mentioned him?

As much as I like the Epilogue theory, I recently read another that seems to make MUCH more sense. We have heard the Man in Black say that he wants to go "home". He wants to get off this island and "go home". Someone put forward the theory that what if his home is actually the alternate reality. Think about it, he comes from a timeline where Jacob doesn't / never existed. Now, at this point in the show, we're all wondering what the significance of these flash-sideways are. As we get closer to the end of the season, it is my guess that the two realities will start to merge (already hinted at with the wounds on Jack appearing) and that the only way for one reality to become full again is if they all choose to live in it. Or something. Mostly I just don't want the final shot of one of the greatest shows on TV to be a crappy CGI four-toed underwater statue.

You laid this out pretty well, it also hasn't been noted 'when' the island is at this point. I like the way you say to look at the alternate timeline as an epilogue. I think its easy to be frustrated watching the LA timeline and waiting for something to 'happen', while its really (most likely) the future of these characters happening. It won't really sink in whats happening until they are all together at Thanksgiving dinner in LA and an apron-clad and Charles Widmore emerges out of the kitchen with a big juicy turkey in the final scene.

I thought the "alternate reality" was more of a what if situation. Basically, what would have happened if the bomb went off and everything went back to normal. Just my thoughts.

@Ole Well according to Adam's theory, the "alt" world is a world without Jacob's influence, so maybe Jack always WOULD HAVE had a kid, but Jacob interfered in some way. Adam, good job on the theory, it's very well put together and makes a lot of sense. I like your analysis of the premier's opening scene. I know Damon and Carlton have made claims that they don't want the 2004 world referred to as any kind of alternate universe or timeline. There's been a bit of talk on message boards about the flash-sideways scenes as an epilogue, and about Jacon and MIB as Egyptian gods. Personally, I'd prefer it if the "epilogue" scenario wasn't the case. I'd love to see either both timelines somehow converge, or for the characters in the 2004 world to come to some realization about their situation (I.e. Jack's appendix scar, seeing Desmond). I just want for there to be some form of over-arching conflict in the 2004 world, not just little character conflicts ala Sayid. Also I think the latest episode (Sundown) shed a lot of doubt on all the "Flocke is really the good guy" theories, what with his murderous rampage. Keep up the good work, man! I hope there are plans for a post finale /filmcast discussion on LOST, possibly involving Miles McNutt.

Wow, it's like I'm reading spoilers here. You sure you're not Damon Lindelof taking the form of Adam Quigley? Minor question though: If the final scene of Lost is Jack in the plane & the swooping over the underwater island, what does that make all the "epilogue" scenes that follow? Would the final scene technically be whatever happens at the end of these "epilogue" scenes? Quigles Rocks!

Awesome theory Quigley, I think you may be 90% right here, expect Lindelof/Cuse to throw in an exceptional curveball in the last episode though.

Interesting theory. But how do you explain the 'bleed-overs' in the flashsideways? And don't you think the bomb not really going off takes something away from last season's finale? It seems the episode would be less interesting somehow.

"The scene itself hints at this. Listen to the sound that plays before screen cuts to black and the title appears. That sound effect is the same noise that we hear at the end of every Lost episode, and before now, we have never heard it used outside of that context." Great theory Adam but that sound effect has been used in such a way before. Remember the introduction of Desmond at the start of S2? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOA4OaGovqk

Jolly good analysis you've got going here, Adam. But could you elaborate more on the Ilana/Taweret parallel? Other than Ilana leading Sun & Lapidus to the remains of the Taweret statue, I don't necessarily see the groundwork for the claim you're making. Given tonight's revelations about Jacob's "touch" and what that means, how would you account for his going out of his way not to touch the injured, bandaged Ilana in the hospital in the S5 finale (He was wearing black gloves, if I recall correctly)? Also, in tonight's episode (Dr. Linus), Ilana tells Ben that Jacob was "the closest thing to a father she's ever had." Your thoughts on what that might mean for the deity embodiment theory you've developed? Keep up the good work!

I agree with most of this. Lot of the same theorizing has been talked about on many LOST podcasts. Darlton have made us so sharp after years of mindfucking!

Nice! Last night confirmed the bomb did NOT go off! Dr. Ben talking to dear old Dad...."I wished we stayed on that island, our whole life would be better!" The island is still there, it was not gone in the 70s when young Ben was there! Otherwise it would have been 'too bad the island blew up, but thank god we are alive, we'd be dead if we were still on the island"!!!!

I am totally blown away by this!

This makes TOO much sense. If you're right, and this is how it turns out, I will hunt you down and destroy you for this pre-emptive spoiler. I should have taken that warning at the beginning more seriously.

Your argument that the side flash is very enticing and I hope it is true. There is a small issue that I am wondering about. If the side-flash is really a picture of time w/o Jacob's influence, then why is it so similar to reality, I would think that if Jacob's was removed from all of time things would be very different. Think of all the people on the dial of the lighthouse, those were just the people Jacob influenced intentionally, what about all of the seconday influences. Then again maybe it is just a timeline of life w/o Jacob for those who were in existence when he died.

Finally got into the show via netflix about a month ago. if this is how it all comes together, id be satisfied.

THOUGH... I wouldnt be suprised if it ended with some final mystery to end all mysteries, cut to black, LOST. then this show would be like a 'never-ending 1st act of scooby doo'.... all mysteries and clues... no one to pull a mask off of.

Interesting theories, Adam. But if Jacob and the MIB are gods (and therefore immortal), 1) how did Ben "kill" Jacob? ("kill" because it's clear that Jacob still has influence (preventing the explosion of the dynamite) and if Ben could kill him, why couldn't the MIB?)... And 2) why would Jacob need to seek a replacement? Is he finally becoming jaded after spending millenia on the island with the MIB? And while I'm on this topic, why would Hurley be one of the candidates? I mean, I like his character, but he doesn't exactly strike me as someone who'd make an effective island-protecting steward, what with his weight and mental illness. He's more of a loyal sidekick than a leader. On another note, I find it interesting that Jacob's "touching" Richard is what allows him to live indefinitely. With this in mind, did Jacob touch Milo (I think his name is) to allow him to speak to the dead? Did Jacob touch Walt to allow him to involuntarily conjure things up? I'd be curious to hear what your theory is about who "Adam and Eve" are (the two dead bodies in the cave).

The scene between Man in black and Jacob in the season 5 finale is key. If Jacob is evil then the persona he shows people is mearly a guise to manipulate them. When the statue is still whole jacob and MIB speak alone. why would jacob speak about free will if he is evil, if another person were present during this conversation Jacobs motives could be called into question. Jacob telling Ben he has a choice is deeper than it may seem. Jacob fully understands all of the events in bens life that made him who he was leading up to that point would indicate Ben would kill Jacob. Jacob acknoledges this pinting out to ben that you stil dont have too do it.

Where the fuck are Rose and Bernard?

What about clair and Jack? Where did she go? And if Christian is her dad the Jack is her brother and Aaron is his nefew.

I am 80% with you Adam as far as the Egyptian gods thing goes.I have a couple thoughts, not fully fleshed out but I think they might be important. 1) In the new season there have been several allusions to separation between a person physically and their "soul" (for lack of a better word). I'm not entirely sure the significance of that, but I feel like it comes into play somewhere. 2) When Miles examines Juliette's body, he says that he said "it worked". Nothing was really thought of it (they thought she meant the bomb probably), but it kind of stuck with me. I'm thinking that death on the island is not quite death. Also, Miles ability seems a little too super-natural to me, and find it kind of weird no that everyone kind of takes it as a given ...

Have you thought that Locke and Jacob could be Set and Osiris (whose mother was the god Nut)? Set was the god of the desert, storms, darkness, and chaos, and was depicted as a "mysterious and unknown creature" (though there is also some weird combo-animal for him as well. Set killed his brother Osiris, who then went on to rule the underworld and admit only people who lived good/just lives. Their mother "Nut" also had the job of separating the forces for chaos from those of the "ordered cosmos." She also protected the dead as they entered the afterlife. Funny thing too ... if you look at the Wikipedia entry for Set, it is a side view and it kind of resembles the statue(pointed animal like face, holding at least one Ankh at his side, wearing the kilt/skirt).

Thanks Adam for putting my new theory on the update. I was cracking up when Matt showed it to me this morning, wasn't expect anyone to actually read it. Hope I didn't ruin any part of you theory but as we all know I'm sure mine will go up in smoke in the next week or so.

I first read this about a month ago. I totally agreed with it, but now not as much and I'll tell you why. Please don't think I'm trying to rip into you here or anything, but your basis for the assumption that the first scene of the premiere is the last of the series was partly based on the "Lost boosh" after the reveal of the underwater foot. I originally never picked up on it, so I watched it multiple times and noticed you were right! So I was positive you must be correct. Until just seconds ago when I popped in my season 2 DVD's for rewatching. As you know the first scen of season 2 shows Desmond in the hatch and ends with Jack and Locke looking down inside. It cuts to black, then the "Lost boosh" sounds. Cue title. The rest of the theory is valid, I think. Just wanted to point this out, so maybe you can tinker with your theory. Again, just a tiny hole in an otherwise awesome theory.

Has anyone considered that Jacob and the Man in Black are Cain and Abel? They were the sons of Adam and Eve. Also, a bird scratching the ground is what prompted Cain to bury his brother. In addition, as a reference to "going home", Cain is banished from Eden by God. Also of significance - Abel was a shepherd, Cain a farmer. In the Greek New Testament Cain is called "from the evil one." Some people take it to mean that Cain is a child of the serpent of the Garden of Eden. How did Jacob and the Man in Black end up on the island? Perhaps the Man in Black is the serpent, Jacob is Adam and Eve is the island. Heh. I don't think Jacob is the keeper of the island, I think he's the keeper of the Man in Black. His presence prevents the MiB from leaving. Also, the obvious conclusion when considering things like "candiates" is that they are candidates to become the new Jacob or the new MiB. I'm not sure Lost would be so direct, so I'm confused on the candidacy.

well all i know i s jacob and the man in black are the twins jacob and esau from the bible. and kate and jack are their parents. esau leaves lockes body and enters bens instead. ive read the script. just wait and see,

LOST has presented us with various themes throughout the series; however, by the end, we will all be back at the same universal question: Are we completely controlled by fate, or do we have the ability to change what’s already happened in the future? The LOST series revolves around the use of a quasi-conventional time machine. All of the “mysteries” that the show presents can be explained through an understanding of how said time machine works. While many will immediately reject the idea of a time machine being the “answer” to the show, I’d be hard pressed to find a more conforming means of explaining the show. I’d like to reader to note that this is an extensive theory that “stretches” many events to the point that the entire theory may not seem believable. I admit that many of the little things in this theory will not actually happen; however, this theory is designed to provide a rough structure of the show, coupled with the assumption that everything is revolving around time travel. Also keep in mind that while the show has provided many “little clues” that may at first glance disprove some of my assumptions, the producers very cleverly plant “real clues” and also things that are purposely designed to deter us from the actual “mystery” of the show (ie, the use of the RAZR in the season 3 finale was purposely designed to make us think that LOST is telling a linear story in time). In this theory, I will walk you through the linear progression of events in LOST; however, the time in which they occur will be variable, so I will provide estimated timestamps for each event. Note that since we have only been presented with a few basic dates, it will be difficult for any theorist to predict when, exactly, things happen; however, the dates aren’t necessarily relevant, only the ORDER of events. On to the theory: Early 1900’s: The Black Rock was a transport boat crossing the Pacific. The people on the boat were transporting a large assortment of metallic minerals. Unexpectedly, the boat encounters the island of LOST. Being that the island has unique magnetic properties, the magnetic materieals on the boat “react” with the magnetic forces on the island, and the boat is literally hoisted onto the island. The inhabitants of the Black Rock become who we know as “the others.” Richard is one of their descendents. Pre 1960’s: The DHARMA initiative was created for the enhancement of the human race. What initially began as human research developed into a massive project that was designed to test fate. At some point during DHARMA’S studies, someone managed to create a time machine. This time machine isn’t the type of machine that allows you to jump into a Delorian and transport to time, future or past, via flux capacitor. It’s, in fact, much simpler. Let’s say that DHARMA created a time machine, and activated it in 1960 – then, after 1 year of the time machine running, someone decides to enter the machine in 1961. They can only go back in time, and they can only go back in time up to 1 year (back to 1960, when the time machine started “running”). Furthermore, once you go back in time, you’re STUCK in the past. You cannot go back to 1961, because you now EXIST in the past. In addition to your body going through the time machine, say you contracted a deadly disease in 1965, but went back to 1960, before you developed the disease – you wouldn’t have the disease when you stepped out of the time machine in a past time. Makes sense, right? So, DHARMA, now understanding the power of such a device, decides to move the experiment to a remote island, where they can test the time machine in seclusion. To begin, DHARMA first starts testing the machine on animals, possibly polar bears. Perhaps they send the polar bears back in time one minute in order to see if the bears can stay on the island. Everything goes swimmingly with the polar bears. DHARMA now is ready to start testing on real humans. So, they start sending people back in time. Over a few years of the time machine running, DHARMA becomes curious to see if this time machine can allow people to alter the course of history. In order to see if people can “change a future that’s already written,” DHARMA begins simple tests in sending people back in time. Unfortunately, these people that were going back in time were not able to do anything to permanently alter the future that was already laid out. Now getting desperate to prove that there’s ANY benefit to the new time machine, DHARMA decides to round up a group of the locals to the island (the others/hostiles) for “testing” purposes to see if they can cure diseases. DHARMA releases a disease on the island which infects many of the Others. Then DHARMA claims to the others that they can cure the disease with this special “device,” the device being a time machine. This, however, is oblivious to the Others, they just want to get cured, and think the time machine is some type of complex vaccination. What DHARMA is actually trying to test is if people go back in time to a point before they were infected, can they be cured of the virus? As fate would predict, the others go back in time and are cured of the virus, only to be later killed by the smoke monster, as the monster is the “physical means” in which the timeline course corrects itself. DHARMA, seeing this smoke monster for the first time, is now officially fearful that this time machine will end up serving no purpose whatsoever. The only thing DHARMA has accomplished is pissing off the locals of the island. 1960-1975: Ben’s mother is recruited by DHARMA to come to the island and work on this time machine. After several years of testing, she too has given up on its abilities. She has also met Richard, the leader of the Others, and he tells her about the horrible experimentation that DHARMA did to his people, resulting in the death of several Others. Ben’s mom quickly grows to hate DHARMA for the morals that they’re willing to ignore in the name of science. She deems it her destiny to bring down DHARMA for the hurt that they’ve brought upon the innocent. But instead, she decides to kill two birds with one stone: instead of just leaving the island and possibly angering DHARMA at her departure, she decides to use the time machine to go back in time to the point at which she came to the island. This way, it would appear to the outside world that she never even left to go to the island. Brilliant. 1960: Ben’s mother has traveled approximately 15 years back in time, back to 1960, where she finds herself back in Oregon. She meets a great guy, marries him, and gets pregnant. But, she was childless in the alternate future that she lived out on the island. Unfortunately for her, DHARMA had not yet discovered that connections between the dying children/mothers and time travel. When the time comes for Ben’s mom to give birth, she dies, but still manages to produce a baby boy. The reason she died was because the timeline was course correcting to replace her with Ben. In a way, Ben is the embodiment of her, and was thus “created” to fulfill her legacy as the disgruntled DHARMA engineer that would ultimately bring down the shady corporation. It’s Ben’s role to figure out how to “work around” fate, and to find a way to make the time machine “work” without using DHARMA’s methods. 1970: It’s not long after Ben’s mother’s death that he and his father go to the island. It’s still unknown as to why they end up getting job offers on the island; however, it seems that they were drawn to the island somehow. When they get there, we find out that Ben’s father was merely to become a peon for DHARMA. Ben was the real reason that they came to the island: It was Ben’s legacy to fulfill his mother’s destiny. Ben, unfortunately, isn’t aware of this at the time. He’s just trying to enjoy himself, and make sure his father isn’t too much of a jerk. 1971: After a good bit of time on the island, Ben hears and sees his dead mother outside his house on the island! The reason he sees her is because in an “alternate future,” she was actually alive and working on this island for DHARMA. However, in this new present, she is half-dead and designed to “help Ben understand his destiny” so that he can carry on her legacy. Her appearing as a ghost to him is allowing history to course correct. Then, Ben sees Richard in the jungle, who says “you’re not ready.” Since Richard worked with Ben’s mom in the past, he too has a vested interest in getting young Ben up to speed so that he can help bring down DHARMA. So for the first few years that Ben spends on the island, his mom’s ghost and Richard represent fate planting the seed in Ben’s young mind – or perhaps we’re seeing a future Richard that has traveled back in time to “coach” Ben as he grows up to his now current 40-year-old being. 1988: Rosseau’s boat crashes at the island and she gives birth to Alex, who is immediately snatched up by Ben and she is moved to the second island where she can grow up. We’re not sure exactly why Rosseau was coming to the island; however, I believe she was part of a DHARMA dispatch crew designed to figure out if there was a power struggle on the island. The powerful folks at DHARMA weren’t stupid enough to go in themselves, so their first dispatch was a group of grunts who would have to die in the name of science given something horrible had happened on the island. Sure enough, Rosseau’s crew died immediately from the “illness” which was the current test that DHARMA was running at the time of her crash. 1971-1996: Ben grows up, occasionally planning with Richard the “ultimate plan” to wipe out DHARMA, the purge. In the mean time, DHARMA continues to test other unique aspects of the island in order to see if they can leverage the time machine for some other purpose. In the midst of this, DHARMA discovers the magnetic anomaly in the island via the SWAN station. This magnetic anomaly is a bubble that encompasses the entire island. Unfortunately, DHARMA only does some basic tests on this anomaly, as they don’t really know how to use it for anything. During this time, both the others and DHARMA are trying to learn how they can leverage the time machine “for the greater good.” During the testing of the time machine, DHARMA and the others make the following discoveries about time travel: 1. When someone enters the time machine, they can only go back in time – and only to a time where the machine was currently running. 2. When you go back in time, you do not de-age. For example, if you are 50, and go back 10 years in time, you do NOT have your 40-year-old body. HOWEVER, your 50-year-old body would not age for the following 10 years, until you caught back up with the present in which you originally entered the time machine. 3. While your physical body does not de-age, time travel will TEMPORARILY cure any physical ailments you may have had prior to entering the time machine. For example, say you become paralyzed in the year 2010 – in the year 2015, you decide to enter the time machine and go back in time 10 years to a time before you were paralyzed. When you travel back to 2005, you would be able to walk again because fate has not deemed that you are paralyzed for another 5 years. However, after 5 years, “fate would find a way” to paralyze you again. Maybe the first time you were paralyzed, it was because you were pushed out of a window and you fell on your back. But, as “the universe has a funny way of course correcting,” you may get hit by a car the second time around. 4. When you go back in time, you can therefore only “change” things that don’t have an impact on your destiny. In other words, if you went to go see a movie on a specific date, and then went back in time, you wouldn’t necessarily go see the movie the second time around. However, if that movie caused you to make a life-altering decision, fate would find a way to have you still make that decision, just without the original influence from you going to see the movie the first time around. 5. If you go back in time and die, you are not “totally” dead because there has already been a variation of the universe where you were alive in the future. Thus, you become “half dead.” In other words, you presence may be known to some people but not others. Your presence would only be known when you are required to make an impact to fate. So, say you were the founder of Google. You go back in time to a point before you founded Google. But, then you die for some unknown reason. Fate would still allow for a way for Google to be founded. More likely than not, your “half dead” self would manifest to someone else, and you would give THEM the idea to create Google – thus, the overall series of events that dominate the universe (the creation of corporate giants) will never change, but you can still technically be dead. 6. If you have never had a child, you cannot go back in time and give birth. Fate does not allow for a new entity to exist in a past where it originally did not exist. Thus fate would either have to kill the mother, the baby or both in order to course correct. 1996: Swelled with hatred, Ben, Richard, and the Others wipe out all of DHARMA on the island. Realizing that there are plenty of DHARMA folk in other aspects of the world (Penny’s father), the Others need to quickly think of something that will prevent DHARMA from ever reaching the island, and bringing them down. So with the brilliant minds of Ben and Richard, the Others snatch up the time machine from the ARROW station, and moved it to the swan station. With the engineering mind of Mikali, the Others are able to cement the time machine into walls deep within the swan station. In addition, Mikali is able to “sync” the time machine up with the magnetic anomaly that encompasses the island – thus giving the Others the ability to send the entire island back in time! They then rig-up the computer system that requires the pushing of a button every 108 minutes; however, this button pushing is actually activating the time machine every 108 minutes. So, for a great number of years, DHARMA is able to suspend time on the island by “resetting” the time machine every 108 minutes. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to this is that time in the rest of the world is still running its course as time is stopped on the island. Therefore, island time stays in the year 1996, while real world time eventually reaches the year 2004. Note that in season 3, Ben makes a comment to Richard “Remember when we used to celebrate birthdays?” Well, there wouldn’t be any reason to celebrate birthdays if the Others are repeating time every 108 minutes, and thus not aging. 1996-1996 (island time): While time is staying constant on the island, the others, now invisible to the outside world, are able to continue tests in time travel. The Others recruit Juliet to explore the now known pregnancy issue. They also find a prestigious military officer to press the button, thinking that he’s saving the world. Meanwhile, the rest of the natives are living out their days and not aging (including Richard, Ben, and all of the others). Also, the second island is considered to be “outside” the magnetic bubble of the first island, therefore, anyone who leaves the bubble of the main island will begin to age again in a timeline post 1996. 1996-2004 (real world time): While the island is stuck in the year 1996, all of the main characters of LOSTS’ lives play out via flashbacks. We see the initial backstories from their FIRST iteration through time. Once the heroes are rescued, they will get to re-live this part of their lives – as we saw through Jack’s “flashforward” at the end of Season 3. 1996 island time (around 2000 real world time): Juliet is recruited to explore the child birth issue on the island. She is genuinely a good person, and will do anything to help her sister. However, she is not aware of the time loop which is occurring on the island, and Ben is using her lack of awareness to keep her at the island. When Juliet saw the video of her healthy sister on the playground, she was actually watching a video acquired from before her sister even got cancer. Since the Others have the island stuck in 1996, Juliet essentially travelled back in time without even knowing it, thus, Ben can have his communication station easily pick up any transmission from 1996 in the outside world. However, to Juliet, she doesn’t realize that she’s in a time loop. She thinks that she’s been on the island for several years, when in reality, if she ever left the island, she’d show up at a time before she even left for the island. 1996 island time (around 2000 real world time): Penny’s dad, the leader of DHARMA who’s fed up with her dating Desmond, engineered a clever scheme that would plant Desmond on the island. He gets Libby, a mole, working for the Others to help get Desmond to the island. 2004 (real world time): The plane crashes on the island because Desmond didn’t press the button to reset the island time back 108 minutes. Not pressing the button temporarily stopped the time machine from harnessing the power of the magnetic bubble, thus creating an opening over the island the split second Oceanic 815 flew over. The resulting power of the current flowing through the magnetic field ripped the plane in half. We, as viewers, are left with two huge questions: was it a complete coincidence that the plane just happened to crash over the island leading Locke to not press the button OR did DHARMA somehow engineer this plane crash to happen the exact second that the plane flew over the island, knowing that specific group of people would free the island of its time loop. That, my friends, brings us back to the theme of LOST – did fate cause the plane crash, or had DHARMA staged certain “characters” to ultimately “lead” our heroes to the island… OR was it some combination of both fate and the work of DHARMA? After the plane crashes, our heroes now exist in the year 1996 on the island, and they have taken on their bodies from 1996. Locke is healed because he hadn’t gotten into his accident until 2000 – the same with Rose. Unfortunately, back in 2004, the plane has actually crashed in the middle of the ocean, where the island used to lie. You see, the island only currently exists in 1996, and is likely destroyed before 2004, thus it will NEVER exist to anyone who’s living in the real world post 2004. That is why Naomi pointed out that the survivors of 815 were found on the ocean after the crash. To be more specific, in 2004, the plane was “duplicated.” One version of the plane now exists on the island in 1996, and the other is crashed in the ocean in 2004. Thus, fate would rule that no matter what happens to our heroes, they are going to die if they ever reach the date of their plane crash in 2004. 1996 (island time): All of the events in the first 2 seasons of LOST take place. The hatch is discovered and Locke ultimately ends up not pressing the button and Desmond turns the fail safe. This destroys the time machine, and now the island time is officially moving again; however, the island time has picked up at 1996! Now the island is moving at about 8 years behind real world time. When Desmond turned the fail safe key, his life flashed before his eyes… Well, actually, he got to “re-live” 8 years of his life! He got to relive being rescued from the island, witnessing Charlie’s death, and then starting his life up again off the island, meeting Penny, and then ultimately coming back to the island, thus creating a full loop for his life story. Desmond could not escape his fate. The reason only Desmond got to re-live his life was some function of him being the “key turner.” I’d venture that he was probably “at the heart of the time machine” thus, he was a little more clairvoyant to his alternate future than say, the folks who were out on the beach. And, that is ultimately how he gets “flashes” of Charlie’s death. Who knows how many times Desmond actually got to “re-live” his life. And, each time Desmond re-lived his life, he saw what would ultimately lead our heroes to getting off the island – and that would be Charlie sending out the message. 1997 (island time): after Desmond is able to finally lead Charlie to his destiny, Jack manages to get the signal out to people in the year 1997. Unfortunately, Naomi is a member of DHARMA, who like Rosseau, was dispatched to investigate the location of the island. Wasn’t it weird that Naomi had a “futuristic” communications device that even Sayid had never seen? I think the producers of LOST want us to think that the communications device was merely slightly newer technology than what Sayid was familiar with. However, I doubt that’s really the case. I mean, logically speaking, Sayid has only been out of the technology loop for say, 100 days. I doubt that there would be such newer technology released that would shock Sayid to the degree that he was on the show. So yeah, I think there’s much more to the communications device than meets the eye. In fact, I think it’s a specially manufactured DHARMA device that allows Naomi to communicate in the past with the future DHARMA in 2004 – it also allows DHARMA to pinpoint her location so that they can pass through the now defunct time barrier of the island. Furthermore, Charlie had mistakenly communicated with a 1997 version of Penny, who hadn’t even begun her search for Desmond. From her perspective, he may have just left a few days back for his race around the world! Conclusions: Going forward, I can only predict a few things that will happen: Throughout season 4, I think Naomi’s DHARMA folks will infiltrate the island and there will be a cat and mouse game between the Others, our heroes, and DHARMA. I think that Jack and Ben will slowly start to see eye to eye, and Jack will start to realize Ben’s pessimistic viewpoint on fate. However, I don’t believe the “time machine” concept will come into play until the final season. By the end of the series, I think some people will stay on the island and some will leave; however, the question will remain that whenever time reaches 2004, will everyone on the plane mysteriously die as a result of fate course correcting the universe – or will our heroes be able to “beat fate” somehow. Either way, the failure to keep pressing the button and the leading of DHARMA to the island has caused a great burden for Ben and the Others, as they now have no control over DHARMA and the island. Our only hope is that they can harness some more of the islands powers to finally allow free will to change the future and stop DHARMA once and for all! As for the flashforwards and flashbacks, I think the producers will continue to present us with both types of scenarios. The more flashforwards that we see, the more we will start to realize that they may not be as much the future as they are “alternate pasts” for each of our heroes. Consider the scene where Jack was going to jump off the bridge in his “flashforward.” Now imagine that Jack is well aware that he’s going to die in a few short years via plane Jack knows that the only way to prevent his inevitable death in 2004 would be to try to get back to the island so that he and the Others can continue to press the button, thus keeping 2004 from ever coming about. Starting in Season 4, all of the “flashforwards” will seem like portrayals of the characters after they are rescued (in a linear sense of time, for example, the plan crashes in 2004, and then everyone leaves the island in 2005, but then wants to get back to the island after that). In the flashbacks, we will see Jack and Hurely interacting, and other such things. For all intensive purposes, there won’t be ANY means to justify that the “flashforwards” are actually alternate pasts. But consider this, why would the producers of the show drop ANY kind of clue that would suggest that the “flashforwards” were actually alternate pasts? If they did get that away, it would immediately give any theorist the key to piece together the entire show! Therefore, until the very end, we won’t be 100% sure that what we’re seeing are “flashforwards” or alternate pasts. Rebuttals Several people have immediately tried to debunk this theory, mainly for 2 reasons: They’re taking the producers’ podcasts too seriously (and have thus discounted time travel), or my theory is too contradictory to their own theories. Either way, I have written this theory for entertainment value, and it should only be taken in as a clever means to explain the show. Below, I will address the rebuttals that have been brought up against my theory. Q: Didn't the last podcast specifically state that the flashforwards WERE the future, and that there is NO TIME TRAVEL!? A: The producers, during season 1, stated that “there are no space ships and no time travel.” I believe this statement was made long before the producers had even worked out the framework to the story. Back in season 1, I the producers were trying to tell a simple story of people who had crashed on an island, showing how they were all intertwined and possibly been unknowingly planted on flight 815. However, once the producers had reason to believe the show could go on for several seasons, they introduced the concept of time travel. Yet, they’ve been cleverly trying to deter the audience from ever coming to this conclusion. Because they are trying to deter us, in the latest podcast this summer, they made the statement that Jack’s flashforward was definitely “the future.” So, if you apply that statement to my theory, the “flashforwards” are the “future” RELATIVE to the events that are happening on the island. In other words, the characters will still experience “alternate pasts” – however, the “future” term used by the producers in a matter of perspective. I’m sure that people will not want to agree with me on this, and they will state that I’m just saying this to defend my theory - but you do have to admit that the producers still have an out in the event that they do decide to center the show around time travel – given they have not recently said anything along the lines of “time travel is NOT an element to the show” or “the sequence of events on the show happen in a linear fashion on ONE timeline.” Also picture it this way – the producers will not hint at the “big reveal” until the very last episode of the series. They want to keep the audience guessing on most of the main questions (ie, what’s the smoke monster) for the next 3 years – they’re not going to even hint at “the answer.” And, time travel is a single concept that can nicely bring together the entire series. Think about it – all this “unexplainable” stuff happens on the island for 6 seasons, and we see these intertwined flashbacks and flashforwards. Then, in the end, Ben says “Jack, when you came to the island, you went back to the year 1996. When you leave this island, you will get to re-live 8 years of your life; however, fate will have it that you die in 2004 if you can never get back to the island!” Then, we as viewers are left to guess at whether or not Jack can take control of his fate or not. Sounds cool enough of an ending to me! Q: If by crashing on the Island the 815'ers go back in time to the preserved Island time of 1996, why does this cure the ailments but not "de-age" their bodies? This in an inconsistent twist to our understanding of time travel - It seems conveniently designed to support ONLY your theory. A: The 1996 year is a rough estimate, the actual year in which the island exists could be more like 1998, or maybe even 2000 - we only need enough time for Desmond and Kelvin to push the button a few years prior to the plane crash. Since time travel, as we know it, doesn't exist, the producers of LOST have the ability to twist the "concept" around as much as they want. So, yes, in a logical sense, going back in time should cause you to de-age, get back your old hair style, and lose your memory. However, we the audience still know nothing about this time machine or its functions, thus, the producers can set whatever rules they want for its functionality. The connection that I used to build this assumption stems from the "disease" that existed on the island in the past. I think DHARMA had been experimenting with diseases on the island to test to see if the time travel would remove them - thus, the time travel can cure disease but not necessarily de-age (because we haven't seen any de-aging). So, I know that this probably seems like a "cheap" answer to your question, but to the same extent, I think the producers will be using a "modified" version of how we would logically perceive time travel. I’m using the concept of fate to help me explain the functionality of the time machine – and here’s the big take away: It doesn’t really matter the exact effect of traveling back in time – the ONLY thing that matters in relation to the time machine is that fate keeps the universe course corrected. Q: The theory is way too complicated for the average viewer. A: It may be a complex theory when taken in all at once, but consider that the producers have 3 more seasons to lay this out for us. Also consider that they said they would give us “an answer” that would allow us to tie up several loose ends on our own. I think if we just find out that there was a time loop, and some of the resulting effects (ie, how the jumbling of time creates smoke monsters, ghosts, and whispers), then we will be able to easily re-watch all the episodes going “oohhh, so that’s why this happened.” Q: They got the stupid golden tickets. That is solid evidence that the events in the flashforward took place AFTER the plane crash. A: Not necessarily, Oceanic could be in on the whole thing with DHARMA. If we’re to assume that DHARMA engineered the plane crash, then any of our heroes could’ve been brainwashed upon leaving the island. I think that Jack and a few others are the ONLY people who are clairvoyant enough to know once they left the island that they were actually getting a second chance to re-live their future. I think that DHARMA is somehow able to brainwash people (Kate, in particular) into thinking the island and the “first timeline” of their life was all imaginary. Because, hey, if you killed your father in one timeline, but then wake up one day and he’s alive again… what would you believe: your past, or what you’re seeing now? I could imagine it would be fairly easy in Kate’s situation to believe that now that her father is alive that she DIDN’T actually kill him, and that all of the happenings in her past timeline were a “dream.” Q: Your theory is completely flawed with regards to the “flashforwards!” We saw the RAZR, the new model cars, AND the newspaper clipping was from a 2007 edition of a newspaper – the flashforwards definitely happened AFTER 2004. A: If the heroes were re-merged with the 1996 versions of themselves off the island, then any number of things could’ve changed in their alternate futures - as long as the fundamental space time continuum doesn’t change. Maybe in Hurely’s second life, he invests his lotto money in Motorola, and they release the RAZR early (ok, that’s an exaggeration, but just because a specific product was released post 2004, DOESN’T mean that in an alternate timeline it could’ve been released earlier). Bottom line is that the producers of LOST throw several “clues” in our faces that are designed to sidetrack us into thinking the story is entirely linear, and that time travel isn’t involved. They don’t want us to start entertaining the idea that time travel is a factor until the final few episodes. As for the newspaper clipping, there is not sufficient evidence to suggest that the prop was designed to convey that it was from 2007. All someone had done was used the template of the prop to link the newspaper clipping to a specific years’ newspaper. My guess is that this is a severe over-analysis of the props used on the show. Q: All clues aside, I think it would be “cheap” for the produces to use the concept of “alternate futures.” That would negate everything (and all the character development) that we saw in the ORIGINAL flashbacks. A: Not quite. Even though the show presents stories out of “sequence,” there is still a linear “order of events” from the perspective of each character. Take Jack for example: he lives 1996 – 2004, while struggling with his dad and his marriage. He ultimately gets divorced, and then his dad runs off and gets himself killed. Just as Jack is about to hit rock bottom, his plane crashes, and he gets the unique ability to “find himself” on the island through the love of Kate (and things we have yet to see on the show). Then, he gets to re-live the years 1996 - 2004, where we’ve been introduced to the concept that his father is still alive, but Jack is still at rock bottom. Why is Jack at rock bottom? Probably because he knows that although he’s living out the same 8 years of his life, nothing is going to change – he’s either going to die in 2004, or somehow find a way back to the island so that he can find a way to stay there for good. For the rest of the series, we will continue to see the final progressions of Jack’s life through his “flashforwards” and on the island. So really, we’re getting the whole story from each character, it’s just happening in a slightly jumbled sequence of time. Q: The resetting of time every 108 minutes makes sense, in theory, but that brings about many inconsistencies on the show – for example, it’s day and night on the island quite frequently, yet, an elapsing and repeating 108 minutes shouldn’t allow time on the island to pass between day and night. A: I think there are 2 explanations to this. The cheap explanation would be that the producers hadn’t really mapped out the entire show by the time they had written the first season, therefore, they weren’t even considering time travel as an option. So, the show would be flawed in that sense. However, the second, more logical explanation is that while the island is in a time bubble, the characters on the island can see “through” the bubble into the parallel time’s sky – therefore, they would still be seeing the day and night change outside the island, because that outside time is still running its course. (I know, I don’t really like this explanation, but it’s the only thing I can think of). Q: Are you suggesting that the Jack flashforward in the Season 3 finale actually took place prior to the crash of 815 in September of 2004? This does not seem to be consistent with Jack's frantic search for the Island by taking random flights. He could just wait for 815 as scheduled couldn't he? Instead he has all those maps and charts all over his home, flies back and forth over the Pacific, and is desperate in his plea to Kate that they "have to go back". A: Yes, Jack’s “flashforward” took place prior to the crash in 2004 of Oceanic flight 815. Basically, Jack gets rescued from the island in 1997 and his conscience is joined with his former self from the past, off the island. However, because he now has his memories from the island, he finds it very hard to accept that his former life is now being re-written with his current actions. Yet, through events in the “flashforward” it’s very obvious that no matter what happens, Jack cannot change his fate. This is apparent to Jack because although he rescues his wife, he never marries her the second time around – because she is destined to have a child with that other guy. Also, it’s clear that Jack knows who’s in the coffin, but no one has shown up at the funeral. I think that person in the coffin was someone who was meant to die at some point before Oceanic crashed – my theory is that it’s Desmond, because he probably left for the race around the world in the year 2001. Furthermore, Jack knows that if he waits until 2004 to board Oceanic 815, that he will, in fact die, because the future had already written that the plane would crash in the ocean and everyone would die (based on what Naomi says). Since Jack now is a believer in fate (thanks to Ben), Jack is trying every trick in the book to try to get back to the island before 2004 rolls around, hence the geographical charts and extensive research that he’s done. Finally, Jack wants to go back with Kate because he’s still in love with her. He wants to go back to the island with her because he believes that will take them back to the island’s time, which will allow them to keep from ever reaching the year 2004. Q I know it's a theory and conjecture and I'm not going to outright say it's wrong, but too much on this is based on things that are (as of yet) completely unrelated in the LOST universe. A: True, this is still just a theory, and while I think many of the things I mention will not actually happen, I think the "frame" of my story, if you will, is for the most part accurate. Q: They have 48 hours left to wrap this story up and if the picture you paint is correct, technically I don't think you would be able to prove it because they'd leave so much out of it. A: I don't think they're going to give us many answers. I think it will be left to the viewer to determine what's going on based on a few major answers, such as the time difference between the island and the real world. I also don't think they will ever tap into certain things, like maybe Ben's moms story. But if we know why Ghosts appear on the island (ie, dead bodies merging with past versions), then we would know that Ben's mom was on the island at some point in time - and that is what I used to write out Ben's mom's story in my theory. Q&A Clearly, my theory does not address every single question that is brought up in LOST. Here I will attempt to answer any of the big questions offered up by the show. Q: How does the theory explain all of the “ghosts/whispers” that people see on the island (Jack’s dad, Kate’s horse, etc, etc). A: The ghosts and whatnot are the islands way of course correcting the universe and leading characters to certain actions. For example, Shannon died because she saw walt. She was meant to die because of her fundamental change in character, which would’ve interfered with the space time continuum. Thus, she followed Walt, leading her to the trigger happy Anna Lucia. Jack’s father was also seen alive on the island. This is because Jack’s dad’s dead body, when colliding with the past time in the island (when he was still alive), brought Jack’s father back to life as some type of half-alive ghost. Hurely saw a ghost of his old imaginary friend, Dave. I’d venture that Dave was actually a real friend of Hurley’s at one point in time, and then Dave died, but remained an imaginary friend to Hurley. Perhaps DHARMA brought Dave’s dead body to the island in hopes that its ghost would make contact with Hurley. Q: Who was in the casket in Jack’s “flashforward?” A: We don’t have enough evidence to suggest the exact person, however, I believe the person in the casket was (wait for it…) Desmond! We know that Desmond collided with the island a few years before the plan crash, thus he actually died around the year 2000. In Jack’s “flashforward” scenes, I’d guess that the actual time portrayed is around the year 2000 in the alternate timeline. Thus, our heroes still have a few years left before fate kills them, however, Desmond’s number was up a few years before them. So, at this point in time, Desmond dies of some random cause (smoke monster, possibly?) in the real world because he was destined to die in 2000. This causes Jack to realize that “the universe does have a funny way of correcting itself.” Hence, Jacks desire to get back to the island. Now that we know Desmond was destined to die in 2000, Jack has to make it his goal Q: Why does Walt seem to have so many powers? A: As we know, Walt has potentially left the island at the end of the second season. This was immediately after the implosion of the hatch. This means that the island now exists in the year 1996 – so Walt and Michael have left the island into the past. Walt can manifest himself to the heroes because he has now existed on and off the island, in parallel timelines (1996-2004). Q: How can you explain the food drop? If the island is looping every 108 minutes during the lockdown, then wouldn’t a food drop be coming once every 108 minutes, or not at all? A: In theory, since we had never seen a food drop in the 108 minute window, there should not be a schedule food drop at that point in time. In theory, there probably should’ve been a food drop every few months (based on the amount of food in the container). But, let’s assume that the food drop was timed to be one minute AFTER the 108 minute window. Notice that when the hatch entered lockdown mode, Ben had temporary control over pushing the button. The fact that Ben pushed the button at the last second could’ve suggested that he let the timer slightly ran over 108 minutes. This is dangerous, because it exposes the island to time past the 108 minutes (which the others knew was “safe time”). But, instead, in that 109th minute, the island was scheduled for a regular DHARMA food drop. Q: How do Hurley and Sayid intercept the radio signal and hear that old 1940’s music? A: There could be a few explanations of this. Sayid had mentioned that the radio waves could be bouncing off the ioniosphere (the metallic layer in the sky), and Hurley suggests that it could be from a different time. In one sense, a radio signal in the island could actually be “bouncing” off the walls of the metallic bubble that encloses the island. On the other hand, if the island is existing in 1996, then Sayid may actually be intercepting a radio transmission from that year. Q: Naomi is definitely from a time post-2004 because she knows about the Greatest Hits album and suggests that Fight 815 crashed and everyone died. If she is from the past, how can she send her ship to the island in the year 1996? A: Remember how Sayid points out how futuristic Naomi’s communications device is? I’d guess that Naomi is definitely affiliated with DHARMA, and that they have sent her back in time to 1996 (the point at which the island came out of the time loop), so that she could destroy everyone on the island in order to put the ball back in DHARMA’s court – they wouldn’t want another group of people controlling a time machine. So, while there’s a time machine on the island, I believe that DHARMA also created a time machine outside the island, after the purge. They’ve had this time machine running for quite awhile, long enough for them to research what happened with flight 185, and then send Naomi back to 1996, so that she could reach the island, and ultimately destroy it, thus preserving the timeline. Q: What leads you to believe the island will be destroyed? A: Because Naomi says that in 2004, the plane crashed in the middle of the ocean, and that all the survivors were dead. I believe the plane probably crashed at the same location of the island. The fact that Naomi mentioned Charlie's band leads me to believe that she's definitely telling the truth about them sitting on the bottom of the ocean. We're left to believe that the plane did, in fact, crash right where the island WOULD HAVE been located, thus the island is gone in the year 2004. If time on the island eventually plays out to meet up with the time in 2004, but it's gone in 2004, I can only assume that it was destroyed at some time before then. Q: How does Locke’s father appear on the island via the “box?” A: If we are to believe that DHARMA still exists in the real world, in 1996, then I would think that DHARMA was able to determine that the others were running a time loop, and that the heroes from the FUTURE flight 815 may actually exist on the island. So, in a creative method to “test” if our heroes are on the island, they engineer a car accident involving Locke’s father in 1996. However, this isn’t even really an accident as much as it is DHARMA sending Naomi back in time from 2005 to 1996, and then having her pick up Locke’s father and bringing him to the island. To Locke’s dad’s perspective, it was the year 1996 and he had just stolen Locke’s kidney (assuming he stole Locke’s kidney around the year 1995). At this point in time on the island, the hatch has been destroyed, so island time is now moving forward post 1996. When Locke’s father reaches the island, he is apprehended by Ben’s crew. They inspect him, and learn that he is Locke’s father. When Locke has his father killed on the island, his father either is officially dead in 1996 (thus Locke would’ve NEVER been paralyzed). Also note that Locke’s father wasn’t like “I pushed you out a window and you were paralyzed – how can you walk now??” – this is because from his father’s perspective, he had yet to reach the point in time where he pushed Lock out the window! From his perspective, he just thought Locke was a poor sap who had been duped. So, because Locke is now destined to never be pushed out of the window, he is fully healed of his future-paralysis (unless something else happens to paralyze him). This is one explanation for how he managed to survive Ben’s bullet wound. Also, note that Ben insisted that Locke Kill his father. Ben was checking to see if Killing his father would relieve him of he future paralysis – which explains why Ben shoots Locke in the next episode. Now that Locke’s father is killed and Lock can’t be paralyzed, he should technically be able to sustain any type of “injury” because his fate is “secure.” Q: what about Libby? Where did she come from? Libby is a spy for the Others, who was dispatched from the island once the Others began the time loop. She was assigned to “research” anyone in the outside world who may have a possible connection to DHARMA in hopes of figuring out if DHARMA was planning on getting to the island. She first encounters Hurley at the mental institution, as she was originally tracking down the man who kept repeating the magic numbers “4 8 16, etc.” When she finds this man at the institution, she also discovers Hurley, and that he has communications with this guy. She then beings to work as a mole for DHARMA. They inform her of the “island” and she tells them that this guy at the mental institution may actually be from the island because he keeps speaking of the “numbers.” DHARMA then sends Libby to give Desmond a boat that will take him to the island. Knowing that Desmond is trying to “prove himself” to Penny, Libby gives Desmond the boat, assuming that when he crashes with the island, he will be able to go back in time and actually get his second chance with Penny. This special boat that Libby has given to Desmond contains similar metallic minerals that the Black Rock had, thus, it would easily be drawn to the island. Unfortunately, Libby, while trying to actually do Desmond a favor, does not realize that fate will ultimately trap him at the island. Q: Who is Jacob? A: As we know, dead bodies on the island can exist in a half dead state – due to LOST’s definition of time travel. Hence, if your dead body comes to the island in a time when you are not dead, you are half dead. Jacob is one of these entities. He has died at some point in the future, but his body (or presence) is still located on the island. Since we really know nothing about who Jacob was, it’s hard to tell what, exactly, he’s doing on the island – we can only infer as to “what he is.” I would guess that since DHARMA has been sending people to the island, a la Locke’s father, they’ve probably sent this “dead” Jacob to the island to help interfere with the Others. Q: On a lighter note - got any explanations on the four toed statue? A: I don't imagine this will play a big role in the story line, so I chose not to address it. Maybe having 4 toes is a weird side effect of time travel. Maybe "the illness" had something to do with losing a toe. Or, maybe one of the leaders of DHARMA was born without a toe, and they made a statue in his liking, but then the others destroyed it. Q: How was the orientation film created, and if the Others were so bent on keeping the time loop running, why would they leave the button pushing in the hands of Desmond? A: The SWAN was originally a test station. People in then SWAN were supposed to press a button for what they thought was some grand purpose. The button only served as a psychological experiment until the time machine was put in the SWAN – hence the pearl monitoring station. The Others snipped out the section of the already made orientation film, so that the button pressers wouldn’t even get the idea to communicate with the computer. The others never really tended to the SWAN station once they had started the time loop because they were always under the impression that Kelvin was pressing the button. Kelvin had an unexpected death at the hands of Desmond, but Ben was able to go to the Pearl and see that people were still pressing the button. Plus, from Ben’s perspective, he has a very limited team of “others:” there are children to look after, and Mr. Friendly trying to tend to Jack and Company. Once wind got out that our heroes had infiltrated Desmond’s button pressing, Ben’s only option is to eventually try to infiltrate the hatch himself – in other words, I think he was probably out of resources on the island and the others simply didn’t have the man power to guard the hatch night and day. Keep in mind that the Others are a small group of people. They don’t clearly don’t appear to have the resources to have the island on guard 24/7. Q: Speaking of the bubble, you also propose that the Others kept their "Alcatraz" island outside of their time bubble, thus allowing Alex to age. So if they keep the main Island in the past to hide and protect it, couldn't DHARMA and others still locate and attack the smaller Island? And finding the Others on that island, what would stop any invaders from going on to the big Island, which can be physically seen from the hill Sawyer climbed with Ben? A: Yes, in theory, the outside world could attack the other island. Did you notice that during the third season, everyone was on high alert on the other island; yet in the little village on the main island, everyone is living very comfortably? Luckily, the other island is so close to the main island that if it did go under attack, the others could easily flee back to the main island. However, the Others might not realize the extent of DHARMA's presence in the real world, thus they might not deem the use of the other island much of a threat. Also, I imagine that if the others had certain people spend years on the other island, they already know that the island is not "meant" to be found. Q: Ben's mother recruited by DHARMA? Wouldn't the situation you posed result in her being on the island and off it at the same time? A: No. If she first worked on the island, then went back in time, the "second" timeline would contain her not being on the island. In her second timeline, she dies immediately and Ben takes her place, and ultimately ends up at the island to finish the work that she started. So basically, she never did anything on the island that required her to be alive for the second timeline. Ben was the one that fulfills her task at some point in his life, the second time around for her. Q: And what about the Res Sox World Series victory? Just a lucky guess by Ben & Co.? A: This isn't a guess at all. I believe that Ben is probably working with Witmore, and he has people in the outside world working for him. They are able to feed him information, because the island is in a time running parallel behind real world time. Q: How do you crash a plane so specific people live? A: The plane crash was fate putting a stop to the Others' activities on the island. Certain people lived through the plane crash because they played a critical role in bringing down the Others. On the other hand, DHARMA also played a part in rounding up the people to get on the plane, so, it's really a question of destiny. Q: Why does the plane duplicate when it's pulled into 1996? A: Because everyone is dead in the year 2004, after the plane crash. Think about it - the heroes are on the island existing, at the same time Naomi says that they're all dead. Naomi MUST'VE come from a future where they were, in fact, dead. Hence, in 2004, the plane did crash and they all died, but on the island, at a time in the past, they are still alive (at least the ones that are playing a role in bringing down the others). Q: Why would the same thing not happen again if Jack did wait for flight 815? A: There's the paradox. Jack either must choose to accept his fate and die in 2004, or maybe he can get on Oceanic 815 for a second time, and go through another loop in time, trying to fix what's happened on the island. Q: If the machine is destroyed by Desmond, why wouldn’t the island catch up with the outside world time in 2004? A: When I originally thought up of this theory, I was going to take the direction you just described (Desmond destroys the time machine and the island immediately "catches up" with real time in 2004). And, to be honest, I think they show may still go in that direction. The reason I'm sticking with the concept that the island stays in the past is the only mechanism that I can use to explain the "alternate pasts." Now, let me explain how the island is remains in the past: I think that the magnetic bubble that encloses the island is what is keeping it in the past. So, you have this type of chemistry between the time machine and the magnetic bubble. The bubble is serving as a type of shield that regulates how the island exists - it's like an invisible time barrier for the entire island. So, what do the time machine and the bubble have to do with the swan station? I don't think the SWAN had anything to do with the actually bubble. I think the swan was simply a station where people pushed the button for testing, and the bubble is a permanent and unique property of the island, and that it can't be destroyed. Q: Is the island still hidden from the outside world once the bubble collapses? A: Once the time machine is destroyed, all time, inside and outside the bubble is now 1996, because the story is being told from the perspective of the losties. Again, I think the bubble is more of a permanent feature of the island. So the problem that now exists for the other and the losties is that now that time is 1996 (or whatever year in the past), the isladn is now visible to the world - it's just a matter of time before it's found. From Ben's perspective, he needs to rebuild the time machine so that they can "suspend" the island in the past again. That's the ONLY thing he cares about at this point. Because if they are all taken off the island, then history will just repeat itself, and everyone will die. I think one of the things I didn't explain originally is how time works in light of the "time loop." When the others were having the button pressed, time on the island was staying stuck in a particular 108 minute window, but since the bubble was regulating that time, time had to be moving in the outside world too, thus it just kept moving along its natural course up to the year 2004. So, once the time machine is destroyed, we have 2 separate times, the island in 1996 and the real world in 2004. Because the show is about time travel, the producers are now going to show us what happens when people get to re-live a certain part of their lives, and we'll get to see if the losties can truly chanage the future/destiny that had already been laid out for them. As I mentioned in the theory. I think the island is destroyed at some point before 2004, and that's why no one can see it (including 815). When desmond didn't hit the button, he was exposing the island to the parallel time in 2004; yet when the failsafe is turned, the time machine is destroyed and the island remains in the past. So, the function of the failsafe has a different effect than not pressing the button. I do need to put some more thought into this concept as logically, it is inconsistent that the plane comes from 2004, but when the failsafe is turned, the island never gets exposed to 2004, but stays in 1996. Q: And what happens to their already existing outside world counterparts in 1997? Does adult Island Kate somehow replace her existing 18 year old self (she was born in 1977 according to Lostpedia) with no one noticing? Claire and others would be even younger. Do they de-age upon re-emergence to the outside world, despite the fact they didn't when originally thrown back to the Island's preserved time? A: This touches on the whole concept of time travel. If you go back in time, will you retain your memories from the future? I think that the losties can retain some of their memories - Jack, for example. As I said, the losties could've been only a few years behind in the time loop, thus they may only be re-living the last 8 years of their life, and not the last 8. If Kate is incarnated into her younger self off the island, no one but her would even know that. Also, you have to consider the perspective in which the rest of the world functions - while Kate and Jack are somewhat aware that they are re-living the last 8 years of their life because of the island, the rest of the world doesn't know that it's being repeated. That knowledge is only reserved for the people who actually time traveled. Think about "back to the future," and recall that when Marty went back in time, he was re-writing history as well, but his Mom didn't know that she was living an alternate past when she first went to the dance with Marty. From her perspective, she was only living out one timeline - thus the same concept applies to anyone who wasn't on the island. Q: When Charlie talked to Penny, she seemed excited that they had Desmond, yet she wasn’t searching for him. Why? A: Charlie was communicating with the 1996 version of Penny (because once the hatch exploded, island time is now moving forward, but from 1996 – NOT 2004). The 1996 version of Penny is the one that had only known Desmond for 1-2 years (we’re assuming Desmond met and started dating penny around 1994, which would’ve been about 6 years before he went on his race around the world). Since Desmond has been on the island for about 30 days after the explosion of the hatch, he would’ve been missing circa 1996 for about 30 days. Thus, Penny is probably very concerned for Desmond, but hasn’t brought out the massive search party. Q: How do you explain Richard never appearing to age? A: Richard had been traveling back in time to communicate with Ben all along. Hence, In Ben's flashback, Richard, as we saw him, was traveling back in time. So, the 40-year-old Richard as we know him, exists in 1996. But, until the purge, Richard continually used the time machine to visit Ben as he was growing up. Q: How does Mrs. Hawking fit into all of this? A: Think of Mrs. Hawking as more of a "presence" than an actual person. Her role was to "help fate" keep Desmond in the same direction while he re-lives his life. Even she says that "fate has a funny way of correcting the universe" - she is the embodiment of that very statement. While I don't think she had a conscious agenda in sending Desmond to the island, her "character/role," per say, was solely to ensure that he get to the island so that the timeline could be preserved. Q: Sun conceived while on the island and it appears that she will live. A: Juliet is clearly lying about the DOC, because she know that Sun conceived off the island. When Sun doesn’t die, she will be able to point out to Ben that she has changed something – ultimately in hopes of getting off the island. Keep in mind that Juliet has an entirely different motive than the heroes. She feels stuck on the island, and she will do anything to get off it – even if it has come down to her lying about the DOC. It appears that she is now hopeless that she can find any way to fix pregnancy on the island. Q: What about the Sonar fence – it’s done some weird stuff so far, like partly killing Mikali and keeping the smoke monster out of the Others’ camp. A: Ask yourself why the fence has to be “sonar?” Why couldn’t it just be a fence? Furthermore, never has there existed a sonar fence in our day in age. The fact that the show even introduces such an idea is evidence enough to suggest that time travel could be involved! As for the fence itself, I believe it’s actually some type of sonar time-barrier. When Locke pushes Mikali through the barrier, Mikali is actually instantaneously passing though the real-world time in the future (where we know he is dead from when he blew up the looking glass). So, in the instant that Mikali passed through the sonar fence-time barrier, he went dead (because he was meant to be dead in the future). But, then he woke right back shortly after passing through the fence because he went back in time to island time. Also, the fence keeps the smoke monster out. Granted the smoke monster is the course corrector, it would have no need to enter the present time because there is no course correction necessary in the present, because the future has not yet played out yet. Evidence to support the theory: 1. It makes no logical sense that “future Jack” would just on a plane in hopes that it will crash “on the same island.” Even if he took a plane over the Pacific every week, he has almost a zero chance of “crashing into the island.” There has to be something else there that gives Jack a STRONG reason to believe that he can reach the island via plane crash. Well, if we assume Jack is re-living the last few years of his life in his “flashforward,” then he would be expecting that “fate will take him back to the island.” I mean, hey, if you knew that you were going to get in a plane crash in 2004, yeah, you better be flying every plane you can so that you can ensure that you DO crash. I think that’s what’s going through Jacks mind when he keeps getting on planes. On one hand, he may just die in 2004 as fate course correcting. OR maybe he’ll get on a plane that same day and crash AGAIN. 2. It’s been confirmed that the “ghosts” such as Jack’s father, Dave (Hurley’s imaginary friend), Walt and Kate’s horse are very real. Remember when Hurley picked up Dave’s physical slipper after the short chase? Unless these people are real ghosts, then there has to be a manipulation of time in order to justify their physical presence. 3. Naomi serves as a huge piece of evidence to prove that the island exists in the past. She directly states that the plane crashed and all of the heroes are dead. Why, and for what purpose, would she lie to the heroes about their death? I certainly can’t think of anything that she’d gain by lying to them. I think for all intensive purposes, they are dead in the year 2004 because of the plane crash. The ONLY other explanation is that DHARMA put a fake plane crash in the ocean, somehow put fake bodies in the ocean, and then manipulated the press and the FBI such that the entire event was never fully “investigated.” I think making the assumption that DHARMA has that much power to “fake” a plane crash is just as farfetched as them creating a time machine. 4. The producers said that the show will contain the same level of “sci-fi” elements as a Michael Chriton book. Note that he wrote a book called “Timeline” where people traveled back to the past via time machine. Furthermore, Cuse and Lindelof also said made a side comment in an interview that the island could exist in “any time.” 5. People don’t actually start arriving at the island until AFTER the hatch implosion – suggesting that when the fail safe was turned, something happened to open the island up to the outside world

The only way that the show can really end is like this: charles widmore has sex with jacobs corpse, and when he cums, the island gets poisoned by sex juice and sinks. one could say the island is feeling "under the weather"

Hey Andrew, Thanks for ruining a great thread by putting up a 12,000 word post.... ass...

yea especially when you posted your long-ass theory on 4/27/10 when the March 3rd episode explains the Black Rock.... u have too much time on your hands buddy... the show will end with most things answered.... but will still leave the audience wanting more.... leading to endless possibilites of maybe either a spin-off or movie

EP 15 was *embarrassing*. All the "answers" in this EP felt forced and lame. seriously, they should just left it ambiguous rather than provide those lame answers.. It's like how they tried to provide an answer to the force source in the Star Wars Prequels all over again..

My take on it is that who was or wasn't in the church, and in fact the whole flash sideways, is irrelevant. It's just the afterlife, and so far I can't see a connection between that and what has been happening on the island all this time. As a standalone season it would be fine, but I can't see any connection to all the island mythology. I found the episode emotionally satisfying because you got to see all the characters together and happy, and I guess it's the characters that were the main reason I kept coming back to the show. I'm particularly un-cynical when it comes to cheesy tv/movie stuff like that. However, the entire flash sideways world was created simply for that emotional pay off. I have a small feeling of being cheated out of a few big questions and also having all the time invested in the sideways world wasted - and also because I shook off character deaths easily in the 6th season because I knew they were sweet in the other timeline. However, now I find that they were actually dead. They shifted the entire climax of the show from who becomes the replacement in looking after the island to the fact that all the characters meet up after they're dead. What I am going to do is ignore that feeling of disappointment, and shove it away and bury it. I'm going to decide to look at all the on island stuff that happens as answering enough questions - most of it was all about finding someone to protect the island and that person ended up being Hurley. All the 'numbers' stuff and things like a bird that says 'Hurley', I'm going to put to down to coincidence and weird shit that happens.

just for the people saying you're ranting cause you're a wanna-bee screenwriter who knows nothing about writing... I'm actually an educated writer-director with a 'piece of paper' which gives me the right the credibility to say 'The way they decided to wrap up the show is simply put - BAD WRITING'. They'd be better off stealing some theories from 'wanna-bee writers' on hoe to end the show... To think I'm amongst many people who spent time and time deciphering the numbers and thinking about mythologies and references to figure it out... Guess it's time we 'got a life' :D